Jill Biden (00:00):
Hello. Hi. Wow. I love this crowd. Wow.
(00:48)
So thank you, Chris. Throughout this election season, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with people from Texas to Florida, from New Hampshire to Arizona, and I’ve been met with incredible kindness in each place. Still, I always feel most at home on a college campus, so it’s so great to be at Bowie State. Thank you.And to Chris and all our distinguished Maryland leaders, thank you for your very warm welcome tonight. Americans across our country have inspired me and I’m grateful for every person who trusted me with their stories. They’ve reminded me of why we are fighting so hard in this election.
(01:56)
So are you ready to vote? Are you ready to win? This is it. We have a little more than 24 hours to get it done, and it’s going to be close. What we do right now will make the difference. So I want to talk to all you moms out there and everyone who has a never ending to-do list. I know you’re busy. I know you have your coffee before that sun rises, and you take the laundry out that you did the night before, just as your daughter is calling for clean socks. And I know how you spend your day jumping from meeting to meeting only to rush home just in time to make dinner. But this election is too important to sit out. So I’m asking you to put voting on the top of your to-do list.
(03:11)
Make a plan, write it down in big, bold letters, and help your friends and families and neighbors do the same, because that’s how we’re going to win, with one ballot cast, one phone call to remind your neighbor who might forget, one ride to the polling place, again and again, these small actions build up to something so much bigger than anything we can do alone. It starts with you. It starts with all of us. Digging a little deeper, working a little harder to elect Democrats up and down the ballots. So now here’s the good part. Sorry, Joe, not… So, he’s a veteran and a Rhode Scholar, a small business owner and a bestselling author, a CEO of one of the country’s largest anti-poverty organizations. And of course, he’s husband to Dawn and dad to Mia and James. Let’s have a round of applause for your next governor, Wes Moore.
Wes Moore (05:01):
Bulldog Nation, what’s going on? BSU.
(05:19)
Maryland, what’s going on?
(05:27)
We are so energized and ready. This is our time, Maryland. This is our time and we are so excited to be joined here by the first family, our President, Joe Biden, our First Lady, Jill Biden. I tell you, Madame First Lady, we are so grateful for your leadership and I want to give a special shout out to how you have supported higher education throughout your entire career. And I do want to give a special shout out also about the way that you’ve supported our community colleges. There are 16 remarkable community colleges here in the state of Maryland. And the first lady is right, I did end up as a Rhode Scholar, ended up becoming the first black Rhode Scholar in the history of Johns Hopkins University.
(06:28)
But I’m a very proud two year college, and the ring that I wear in my finger is from my two year college. I know my foundation, and we are going to support all of our students, and you have consistently done that, so thank you. Thank you. And I am so grateful to be here with each and every one of you, not just today, not just tomorrow, but for this entire journey, because this is our journey. This is our journey to make Maryland the place that lives up to the principle that I learned in my first days of army training, a principle that was simple, leave no one behind.
(07:18)
And now I want to be clear, after tomorrow, if I am blessed enough, if I am blessed enough to be your next governor, we are going to make that the new mission of the state of Maryland. Maryland will be a state that leaves no one behind. It was interesting, it was interesting, Senator, the other day, a reporter actually asked a question. And they asked, they said, “Why are you all campaigning so aggressively?” And she said, “Haven’t you seen the polls?” So I told her, I said, there are three reasons why we continue to campaign so aggressively. The first reason why we continue to campaign so aggressively is this, this is how I plan on governing. Aggressively, with urgency and across every part of the state, so get used to it. The second reason is, because the only poll that matters is election day. And until those polls close tomorrow night, we are running like we are 10 points behind, we are running with urgency because we cannot just win an election we have to send a message. And the third reason is also simple, because the stakes are too high to do anything different.
(09:18)
The stakes are too high. These are uncertain times. These are uncertain times because we know that there are families who are struggling to put food on the table, that people simply want to feel safe in their own communities, in their own homes, and also in their own skin. We know that these can be uncertain times for families who want to make sure that their children are going to a safe and a quality public school. And I love you teachers. That people just simply want the opportunity to leave something behind to their children besides debt. But let’s be clear, these are uncertain times for democracy as well. The principles of a nation that I love are under a level of unprecedented assault, critical rights, like understanding that abortion is healthcare. And we are going to fight to make sure that Maryland is a safe haven for reproductive freedoms and reproductive health. And critical rights, like understanding that a democratic election should be honored and respected. And not letting and allowing Maryland to become a state where deciding to honor the results depends on what the results are.
Wes Moore (11:00):
But in these uncertain times, I promise you this one thing. Maryland will lead. When it comes to making sure that every child has access to a 21st century quality education where parents, educators and community members are all empowered, Maryland will lead. And by the way, that includes that we will make sure that we are implementing free pre-K for every child in need in the state of Maryland. That when it comes to tearing down this political divisiveness, while also building a workforce of the future, by giving every single high school graduate the option to have a service year option, Maryland will lead. When it comes to creating a safe haven for abortion access and honoring the fact that that difficult decision to have an abortion should be made between a woman and her doctor, Maryland will lead. When it comes to making Maryland the home of innovation and entrepreneurship, leveraging our colleges and universities like the remarkable Bowie State University. And, by the way, the other three HBCUs that Maryland has in the state of Maryland, investing in apprenticeship programs and trade programs and supporting our workers. Teaching our students how not just to be employees, but how to be employers. Forging and economic growth that we can all benefit from and not just some, Maryland will lead.
(13:13)
And I’m so thankful for the First Family for being here. So thankful. That’s right. Thankful for the partnership, and also thankful for the recognition and understanding that Maryland is ready to lead for being here. To understand and also underscore the fact that this is going to be Maryland’s moment. But I know that in order for us to accomplish any of this, we’ve got to do it together. Because, if we stand divided, we cannot win.